Historic Urbana - A Self-guided Walking Tour - City of Urbana

The activity which is the subject of this brochure has been 

financed in part with Federal funds from the Department 

of the Interior, administered by the Illinois Historic 

Preservation Agency. However, the contents and opinions 

do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the 

Department of the Interior or the Illinois Historic 

Preservation Agency, nor does the mention of trade names 

or commercial products constitute endorsement or 

recommendation by the Department of Interior nor the 

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. 

This program received Federal financial assistance for 

identification and protection of historic properties. Under 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age of Discrimination 

Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the 

Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, disability, or age in its federally assisted 

programs. If you believe you have been discriminated 

against in any program, activity, or facility as described 

above, or if you desire further information, please write to: 

Office for Equal Opportunity 

National Park Service 

1849 C Street, NW 

Washington, D.C. 20240 

or 

Equal Employment Opportunity Office 

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency 

Old State Capitol Plaza 

Springfield, IL 62701 

Historic 

Urbana 

Please Contact: 

City of Urbana 

Community Development Services 

400 South Vine Street 

Urbana, IL 61801 

Phone: 217-382-2440 

Fax: 217-384-2367 

www.city.urbana.il.us 

A self guided tour of the Home 

of the University of Illinois 

Production and photos (except those noted) by Lauren Kerestes 

Map by Rob Kowalski, City of Urbana 

* Photo from Urbana, A Pictoral History by Raymond Bial 

** Photo credit unknown

L LandmLandmark 

History 

Early Settlement 

What is now central Illinois was occupied by native 

people whom the French called the Illinois. They still 

lived in the region in the 1830s, when they were forced to 

emigrate. The white settlers, who in the 1820s moved to 

the area known today as the City of Urbana, grew 

substantially in numbers by the 1850s. The establishment 

of several mills and the Illinois Central Railroad Depot in 

“West Urbana,” modern day Champaign, were 

responsible for much of the growth. Several hundred 

commercial buildings and houses were erected within a 

year of the arrival of the railroad. Urbana was chartered 

as a city by the state legislature in 1855 and on June 2, 

Archa Campbell was elected as the first mayor. In 1863 

the first streetcar, drawn by mules, began operating 

between the newly incorporated Village of West Urbana 

depot and the Urbana courthouse. After the Civil War, 

African-American people leaving the South arrived; the 

1870 census records indicate that 40 Americans of 

African descent lived in Urbana. 

The Downtown 

The location of the county seat in Urbana has always 

played an important role in ensuring the vitality of the 

downtown area, drawing 

ordinary and even renowned 

persons, such as Abraham 

Lincoln, into the city. The 

completion of Clark R. 

Grigg’s Indianapolis, 

Bloomington, and Western 

Railroad in 1869 also 

contributed to the growth of 

the Downtown. The I.B. & W. provided a direct rail route 

that enabled Urbana to become 

a stable and independent 

trade center. Merchants 

were no longer dependent 

on the streetcar railroad 

to transport shipments 

of goods from the 

Illinois Central depot in 

Champaign. To service the 

ever-growing railroad industry, the Big Four rail car 

repair shops opened in Urbana in 1871 and became a 


& District Criteria 

The Urbana Historic Preservation Commission 

considers the following criteria for designating local 

historic districts: 

1. A significant number of buildings, structures, sites, 

or objects meeting any of the standards required 

for historic landmark status (see below). 

2. An area containing a contiguous grouping of 

properties having a sense of cohesiveness 

expressed through a similarity of characteristics of 

style, period, or method of construction . 

3. An area of sufficient historical integrity to convey 

a sense of time and place. 

The following criteria are considered for local historic 

landmarks: 

1. Significant value as part of the architectural, 

artistic, civic, cultural, economic, educational, 

ethnic, political, or social heritage of the nation, 

state, or community. 

2. Associated with an important person or event in 

national, state, or local history. 

3. Representative of the distinguishing characteristics 

of an architectural type, inherently valuable for the 

study of a period, style, craftsmanship, method of 

construction, or use of indigenous materials and 

which retains a high degree of integrity. 

4. Notable work of a master builder, designer, 

architect, or artist whose individual genius has 

influenced an area. 

5. Identifiable as an established and familiar visual 

feature in the community owing to its unique 

location or physical characteristics. 

6. Its character is a particularly fine example of a 

utilitarian structure, including but not limited to, 

farmhouses, gas stations, or other commercial 

structures with a high level of integrity or 

architectural significance. 

7. Areas that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, 

information important in history or prehistory.

Ricker 

Nathan Clifford Ricker (1843-1924) 

Nathan Ricker was born on a farm in Acton, Maine in 

1843. He became a country school teacher at the young 

age of 18 and taught himself Latin, French, Geology, 

and Botany. He later worked in a factory making piano 

cases, and then in a wagon and blacksmith shop. 

Striving to do more with his life Ricker enrolled in the 

newly founded Illinois 

Industrial University in 

1870 (the present day 

University of Illinois), and 

became the first American 

graduate in architecture. In 

1873 Ricker assumed a 

permanent teaching 

position at the U of I. He 

also held many important 

offices within the College of 

Engineering, including Dean, 

and Head of the Department 

of Architecture. Ricker retired in 1911 after the death 

of his wife, Mary Carter Steele, niece of Judge and 

Mrs. J.O. Cunningham, one of Urbana’s founding 

families. During his career, he designed five buildings 

for the U of I, including the Natural History Building, 

the Kenney Gym Annex, Altgeld Hall, the Aeronautics 

B Lab (Metal Shop), and Harker Hall (Chemistry 

Laboratory). Ricker’s home 

at 612 West Green is the 

only known residential 

building he designed. 

Ricker emphasized 

technology, building design, 

construction, and history; 

subjects still integral to the 

architectural 

curriculum at the 

University today. 

History 

Main Street 

Originally many of the 

buildings along Main Street 

were of wood frame 

construction. When these 

were destroyed in the 1871 

Urbana fire, brick became the dominant construction 

material. Some of the original 

buildings that lined Main Street 

were Tiernan’s, Busey’s Hall, 

Knowlton–Bennett Drugstore, 

Peterson Café, the Columbian 

Hotel, Hubbard Drug Company, 

and Dickenson’s grocery store. 

Many of the architecturally 

significant homes and public buildings were constructed in 

the late 1800s and early twentieth century. Prominent 

individuals who built their homes on Main Street near the 

downtown, included Dr. Austin Lindley, Clark R. Griggs, 

Samuel Busey, and Frank Marriott. Notable public and 

semi-public structures include the Unitarian Universalist 

Church, the United States Post Office, the Champaign 

County Courthouse, and the Urbana High School. 

University of Illinois 

Nothing has influenced the economy, land use, traffic, and 

development of Urbana as much as its relationship with 

the University of Illinois. A 

member of the state legislature, 

Clark R. Griggs, is credited with 

bringing the University to the 

county. In 1867, Governor 

Richard J. Oglesby signed the 

bill to establish the Illinois 

Industrial University, now the University of Illinois. A 

number of resources associated with the early 

development of the 

University remain in Urbana. 

Some of the oldest surviving 

of these landmarks are the 

experimental Morrow Plots, 

the South Farms, Harker 

Hall, the Astronomical 

Observatory, the Natural 

History Building, and Altgeld Hall.

Local Landmarks 

Urbana has five local landmarks. A local landmark 

property is a building, structure, site, or object which 

is worthy of rehabilitation, restoration, and 

preservation because of its historic and / or 

architectural significance to the City of Urbana. 

Historic Lincoln 

Hotel 

209 S. Broadway 

1. The Nathan Ricker House 

612 West Green Street - built 1892 

The Ricker House was 

designed and built by 

Nathan Ricker, founder 

and head of the Department 

of Architecture at the 

University of Illinois from 

1873 to 1910. Gables 

containing overlapping 

wood sawn shingles and the 

large full-width front porch are prominent features of the 

Queen Anne home. Ricker lived there until the time of his 

death in 1924. The Preservation and Conservation 

Association restored the home during the 1990s using 

private loans, grants, and volunteer efforts. 

2. Busey’s Hall / Princess Theatre 

120-124 West Main Street - built 1870 

Originally built in the Italianate style to house the Busey 

Brothers’ Bank and other local businesses, this was the 

first brick “block” building 

constructed in Urbana and 

one of the few buildings that 

survived the 1871 fire. 

Busey’s Hall, an opera house 

situated on the top floor, was 

the first Opera House in the 

area and has remained 

substantially unaltered since 

1903. In 1915, the first floor of 120 West Main housed the 

Princess Theatre, which was renamed the Cinema Theatre 

in the 1960s. It closed in 1994. The Art Deco façade was 

added in 1934 and the steel and porcelain entrance in 1949. 

Alpha Delta Xi/Opus 

Dei 

715 West Michigan 

Urbana Post Office 

202 South Broadway 

Flat Iron Building 

Main & Springfield 

burned down in 1948 

Present site of Kirby 

Firestone building 

Urbana Free 

Library 

201 South Race

Royer 

Joseph W. Royer (1873-1954) 

Joseph W. Royer was a 

prominent architect in 

Champaign County from the 

late 1890’s through the mid 

1900s. He lived in Urbana 

his entire life and studied 

architecture under the 

instruction of Nathan Ricker. 

While working as an 

engineer for the City of 

Urbana, Royer designed 

many distinguished 

buildings in the city, 

including the Masonic Temple, County Courthouse, and 

Sheriff’s residence (demolished 1998). He also designed 

the Urbana Free Library, Urbana High School and the 

Urbana Lincoln Hotel (currently the Historic Lincoln 

Hotel). After working at the city he started his own firm 

which was originally located in the Flat Iron Building 

and later moved to the Masonic Temple when the Flat 

Iron Building burned down in the late 1940s. Some of 

Royer’s buildings featured earlier in this brochure 

include, the Alpha Delta Xi/Opus Dei House, Tiernan’s 

Block/ Masonic Temple, and the Ella Danley Cottage. 

Others of local significance are pictured here. 

Urbana High School 

1002 South Race 

Street 

3. Tiernan’s Block / Masonic Temple 

115 West Main Street - built 1871 

Urbana native and University of 

Illinois graduate J.W. Royer was 

the architect that designed this 

building with a terra cotta façade. 

Originally this structure housed 

Frank Tiernan’s grocery store at 

street level, a lawyer and dentist’s 

offices on the second floor, and an Opera House on the 3rd 

floor. In 1994, a parapet was added to the current facade. The 

building was the site of the Urbana Masonic Lodge for nearly 

100 years. 

4. The Gothic Revival Cottage 

108 North Webber Street - built circa 1850 

This pre-Civil War house is the oldest local landmark in 

one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Its steep gabled 

roof, decorative bargeboard, and narrow lancet windows 

are all features of the Gothic 

Revival style, rare to this region. 

Because of its proximity to the 

railroad, it is thought to originally 

have been provisional housing 

for men who were mechanics, 

cooks, and waiters for the Big 

Four Railroad. 

5. The Lindley House 


This Queen Anne house was built 

for Dr. and Mrs. Austin Lindley 

from the designs of Urbana 

architect and 1887 University of 

Illinois graduate, Rudolph Zerses 

“Doll” Gill. Dr. Lindley was a 

prominent surgeon and physician 

who used the first floor as his 

office and the second floor as the family’s residence. He 

and his wife, Minnie, lived in the home until 1922. 

Characteristics of the Queen Anne style, include varied roof 

lines, wall treatments, wood trim and shingles, and varied 

window sizes and shapes. Before being converted to a bed 

and breakfast in 1996, it was used as a music conservatory.

Royer District 

A Historic District is a group of buildings, 

structures, sites, or objects within a defined geographic 

boundary that are historically and/or architecturally 

significant to the City of Urbana. 

6. Theta Club House / Omega Tau Sigma 

801 West Oregon Street - built 1905 

This house was the original 

residence of Joseph W. Royer, a 

prominent Urbana native and 

architect. It was built in the 

Mission architectural style with 

an Arts and Crafts influence. It is 

believed that Royer was inspired 

to construct the home after seeing 

the “California Building” at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. 

Louis. The home has a brick 

foundation, a stucco façade, and a 

clay tile roof. A second story 

constructed of modern wood 

siding was added in 1968. Royer 

and his wife, Adelaide, lived in 

the home until the 1950s. 

Ella Danley Cottage / Fairy House 

701 South Busey Avenue 

Originally designed by Royer as 

a cottage for his mother-in-law, 

Ella Danley, this home was 

constructed after the primary 

residence at 801 W. Oregon. The 

house was designed in the 

English Revival style of 

architecture. Both houses in the 

Royer District have stucco 

facades, which relate them 

visually. Some of the most 

prominent features of the home 

are its arched, eyebrow entrance 

and the chimney finished in 

stucco with randomly placed 

fieldstones, which have remained 

largely intact and unaltered. 

National Historic 

Landmark 

The Astronomical Observatory and the Morrow Plots 

have the honor and distinction of both National 

Register and National Historic Landmark status. 

National Historic Landmarks are nationally 

significant historic places designated by the National 

Park Service and Secretary of the Interior because 

they possess exceptional value or quality in 

illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United 

States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places in the 

country bear this national distinction. 

25. Astronomical Observatory, 


901 South Mathews Avenue - built 1896 

The observatory was the first 

University building of permanence 

situated south of the former 

University Hall (Current location of 

the Illini Union). This structure has 

been an important element in the 

development of the science of 

astronomical photoelectric 

photometry. The observatory still 

contains the original telescope used 

for examining the universe. 

26. Morrow Plots, 


Gregory Drive at Mathews Avenue - est. 1876 

The Morrow Plots are the nation’s oldest experimental fields 

in continuous rotation. Over the years results have 

demonstrated that the use of 

science and technology has increased 

crop production over 

four-fold. In 1969, the Undergraduate 

Library was constructed 

underground to prevent 

shading of Morrow Plots because 

of the their importance 

to the University.

National Register National Register 

22. Smith Memorial Hall, University of Illinois 

805 South Mathews Avenue - built 1920 

23. Unitarian Church of Urbana Chapel 

1209 West Oregon Street - built 1908 

This modified Tudor Revival 

building looks much the same 

as it did when it was built in 

1908. This architectural type 

was promoted and distributed 

by the American Unitarian 

Association especially in the 

This structure was designed 

as part of the Blackall 

Olmsted plan between 1912 

1920. Smith Hall terminates 

the vista of the east-west axis 

down Nevada. The formality 

and rectilinear organization of 

space continues on the Quad. 

24. Warm Air Research House 

1108 West Stoughton - built 1922-1924 

The National Warm-Air 

Heating and Ventilating 

Association constructed this 

2 1/2 story, Colonial Revival 

house in Urbana to conduct 

experimentation with the 

heating systems. During this 

time the completely 

furnished house, resembling 

real living conditions, served as a research laboratory. 

Mechanical engineering professors, including Arthur C. 

Willard, and students at the University of Illinois installed 

and studied the various 

furnaces for over twenty years. Willard devoted his career 

to searching for ways to heat homes more effectively. In 

1940, the house was sold to a private individual when 

researchers turned their attention to smaller housing types 

that were becoming more commonplace after WWII. 

Authorized under the National Historic Preservation 

Act of 1966, the National Register is administered by 

the National Park Service. Properties listed on the 

Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, 

and objects that have local, state, or national 

significance in history, architecture, archeology, 

engineering, and/or culture. In addition to one or 

more of these criteria, properties must also have 

integrity. Anyone can fill out a nomination form for 

properties that meet these criteria. Twenty properties 

within the City of Urbana are listed and are eligible 

for Federal tax benefits and funding. 

7. Alpha Delta Pi Sorority House 

1202 West Nevada Street - built 1926 

The narrow site for this substantial, 

formal brick house is balanced by a 

steeply pitched roof. Notable details 

are the oriel window on the Goodwin 

Street side and the tie rod that 

connects the tall chimney to the slate 

roof. The building echoes those 

constructed by the wealthy during the French Renaissance. 

8. Alpha Xi Delta Sorority House / Opus Dei 

715 West Michigan Avenue - built 1915 

This house was designed by 

University of Illinois grad Joseph 

Royer in the Tudor Revival 

architectural style. The home was 

designed for the Matthew Busey 

family, one of Urbana’s early 

prominent families. 

9. Altgeld Hall, University of Illinois 

Wright and Green Street - built 1896-1897 

Nathan Ricker worked with James 

McLaren White to design Library Hall, 

later known as Altgeld Hall. This 

Richardsonian Romanesque structure 

was the last of Ricker’s designs. It houses 

the famous bell tower from which “Hail 

to the Orange” and other familiar tunes 

can be heard daily at 12:50 p.m.

National Register 

10. The Chemistry Laboratory / Harker Hall 



Harker Hall is one of the 

original buildings located on 

the quadrangle. Formerly 

known as the Chemistry 

building, it was designed by 

Nathan Ricker in the Second 

Empire Style with a raised 

main story and a mansard roof. 

It currently houses the University of Illinois Foundation 

offices and is the oldest standing academic building. 

11. Clark R. Griggs House 

505 West Main Street - built 1871 

This example of Italianate 

architecture was built by Clark 

R. Griggs. Griggs served as 

mayor of Urbana and was president 

of the Indianapolis, 

Bloomington, and Western 

Railroad. After being elected 

to the Illinois General 

Assembly, Griggs worked to 

bring the University of Illinois to the area after gaining the 

1865 federal land grant for the University. 

12. Elm Street Court/ Buena Vista Court 

1-8 Elm Street Court - built circa 1925 

The court consists of eight 

Spanish Mission style 

cottages that face a central 

courtyard. This architectural 

style, while common in 

California and the 

southwestern U.S., is 

unusual in the Midwest. The 

single-story cottages are stucco over tile construction and 

have flat roofs and wrought iron window décor. 

18. Main Library, University of Illinois 

1408 West Gregory Drive - built 1924 - 

This Georgian Revival building was 

sited and constructed in accordance 

with the 1921 University Campus 

Plan by architect Charles A. Platt. 

It is the fifth largest library in the 

country, the third largest academic 

library, and the largest state 

supported university library in the United States. 

19. The Nathan Ricker House 


This house was designed by Nathan Ricker, who in 1873 was 

the first person in the nation to receive a degree in architecture 

from the former Illinois Industrial 

University. Gables containing 

overlapping wood sawn shingles 

and the large full-width front 

porch are prominent features of 

the home’s Queen Anne 

architectural style. 

20. Natural History Building, 



The Natural History Building is another 

Nathan Ricker creation. Designed in 

the American High Victorian Gothic 

style, the building brought a change of 

architecture to campus. Additions in 

1909, 1910, and 1923 completed the 

original design as intended by Ricker. 

21. Phi Mu Sorority House 

706 West Ohio Street - built 1927-1928 

This three-story Spanish Eclectic 

style building is constructed of 

rough tan and orange brick with a 

side-gabled tile roof. Its style was 

influenced by the 1915 Panama- 

Pacific Exposition where the public 

was exposed to Spanish and Latin 

American architectural styles.

National 

Register 

16. H.E. Kenney Gym & Kenney Gym 

Annex, University of Illinois 

1402-1406 W. Springfield Avenue - built 1901 & 1890 

The Drill Hall (later called the 

Kenney Gym Annex) was 

designed by Nathan Ricker and 

initially used for student military 

instruction, primarily during the 

time between WWI & WWII. It 

contains a large, unified space, the 

result of Ricker’s innovative use 

of wood- and metal-trussed framework 

that left the interior free of support structures. The Kenney 

Gym, formerly the 

Men’s Gymnasium, was 

designed by Nelson Strong 

Spencer, a student of Ricker. His 

architectural design closely 

imitated that of the nearby Drill 

Hall, exemplifying the then 

current architectural engineering 

17. Mumford Farm House 


1403 East Lorado Taft Drive - built 1871 

This farm house is the oldest 

surviving structure on the 


campus. It was built three 

years after the University 

opened on what was then the 

horticultural grounds. It was 

designed to provide a model 

of what a modest farmer’s 

house should look like, “tasteful in appearance, economical in 

cost, and compact and convenient in arrangement.” Several 

important University professors and staff lived in the house, 

including Thomas J. Burrell, George E. Morrow, Dean Eugene 

Davenport, and Herbert W. Mumford. 

13. Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District 


1201 West St. Mary’s Road - est. 1902-1913 

The South Farms were designated 

as a historic district in 1994. The 

property contains barns, silos, 

outbuildings, and farm houses 

that tell a story of the University’s 

scientific progress in agriculture. 

The Three Round Dairy Barns, 

built between 1902 and 1913, 

served as a model dairy farm and were part of the agricultural 

experiment station. Popular legend maintains that the barns 

were built round in order to appear smaller to tax assessors. 

14. Gamma Phi Beta Sorority House 

1110 West Nevada Street - built circa 1910 

Though built around 1910, the Gamma Phi Beta chapter did not 

purchase this house until 1918. The house has been enlarged 

and remodeled, yet the main element of the building, the 

central three-story rectangle 

with the asphalt shingle roof, 

remains largely intact. Greek 

Letter Society dwellings are 

historically significant because 

they provided much needed 

housing for pre-World War II 

students and established a 

means of socializing. 

15. Greek Revival Cottage 

303 West University Avenue, Leal Park 

- built circa 1854 

This is the best example of the 

Greek Revival style in the area. 

The house was originally 

located on Springfield Avenue 

and was relocated to Leal Park 

and restored in 1987. Leal Park 

is located on Boneyard Creek 

and contains graves of early 

Champaign County settlers and Native Americans. Currently 

the cottage houses Urbana Park District offices.

Map 

Wright St. 

16 

Florida 

Stoughton 

Springfield Av. 

Green St. 

9 10 20 

Quad 

18 

Mathews St. 

22 

25 

26 

23 

17 

Lorado 

Taft Dr 

Av. 

7 

Goodwin 

Goodwin Av. 

University Av. 

Main St. 

24 

Gregory Dr. 

Dorner St. 

Lincoln Av. 

14 

Nevada St. 

Busey 


Campus 

6 

Coler 

1 

12 

21 

Ohio St. 

Illinois St. 

Oregon 

Michigan St. 

8 

Elm St. 

St. 

Washington 

Orchard St. 

11 

15 

5 

St. 

Race St. 

Race St. 

Pennsylvania 

Florida 

Broadway 

Downtown 


2 

3 

Av. 

Main St. 

Av. 

Vine St. 

University Av. 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

Webber St. 

4 

E. Main St. 

Alpha Delta Pi Sorority / 1202 W. Nevada St. 

Alpha Xi Delta Sorority / 715 W. Michigan St. 

Altgeld Hall / Wright & Green Streets. 

Chemistry Laboratory / 1305 W. Green St. 

Griggs Home / 505 W. Main St. 



Elm Street Court / 1-8 Elm Street Ct. 

Exp. Dairy Farm / 1201 W. St. Mary’s Rd. 

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority / 1110 W. Nevada St. 

Greek Revival Cottage / 303 W. University Av. 

Kenney Gym / 1402-1406 W. Springfield Av. 

St. Mary’s Rd. 

13 

Lincoln Av. 

N 

1/4 Mile 

17 

18 

19 

20 

Mumford Farm House / 1403 E. Lorado Taft Dr. 

Main Library / 1408 W. Gregory Dr. 

Ricker House / See #1. 

Natural History Building / 1301 W. Green St. 

1 

The Nathan Ricker House / 612 W. Green St. 

21 

Phi Mu Sorority / 706 W. Ohio St. 

2 

Busey’s Hall / Princess Theater / 120-124 W. Main St. 

22 

Smith Memorial Hall / 805 S. Mathews Av. 

3 

Tiernan’s Block / Masonic Temple / 115 W. Main St. 

23 

Unitarian Church / 1209 W. Oregon St. 

4 

Gothic Revival Cottage / 108 N. Webber St. 

24 

Warm Air Research House / 1108 W. Stoughton 

5 

The Lindley House / 312 W. Green St. 

25 

Astronomical Observatory / 901 S. Mathews Av. 

6 

Royer Historic District / 801 W. Oregon St. & 701 S. Busey Av. 

26 

Morrow Plots / Gregory Dr. & Mathews Av.

Historic Urbana - A Self-guided Walking Tour - City of Urbana

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